Hello from Portland, OR

[TheatricalKate]

Hello from the Pacific NW!

I've joined this forum because I'm ready to purchase a bus and turn it into a mobile performance and tarot/creative consultation offering, Vardo inspired witches wagon.

I'm shopping for a small diesel (that I'll run on biodiesel), 5 window bus, with a working wheelchair lift.

I'd love to hear from folx who have added fold down stages to the side of their bus. There's a lot to keep in mind for weight requirements and road safety. I've been reading threads here on engines and transmissions (it took me a moment to figure out "tranny" as that's frequently a slur in my world!)

I'm hiring a company to do all the engineering and fabrication. But I want to buy smartly and not have to do an engine rebuild right off the bat.

Thanks for all your collective wisdom!
Kate.

[Tango]

Howdy Kate, and WELCOME!


Are you looking at "over-the-counter" BioDiesel...or the home brewed variety.



If the home brewed, I would recommend doing a lot of reading and research before committing. Seems the vast majority of folks I have seen who went to great lengths to make their own quickly went back to using the off the shelf fuel. Very complicated process that does not appear to pay back.


Just a thought. Meanwhile, read all you can here and don't hesitate to ask questions. Great bunch of folks here and many of them have years of experience to share.

[Johnny Mullet]

5 window bus limits you to any E-series Ford with either the beloved 7.3L or not so loved 6.0L diesel engine. The 7.3L loves biodeisel and is very reliable and well known. The 6.0L will also run on bio and be reliable if you don't run it hard and keep up on service.

Welcome aboard!

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Tango

Howdy Kate, and WELCOME!


Are you looking at "over-the-counter" BioDiesel...or the home brewed variety.



If the home brewed, I would recommend doing a lot of reading and research before committing. Seems the vast majority of folks I have seen who went to great lengths to make their own quickly went back to using the off the shelf fuel. Very complicated process that does not appear to pay off.

I ran a biodiesel processor for a couple of years. As long as I could get plenty of good oil, it did pay off.

The reason we quit was that good oil became scarce/expensive.

When we first started, restaurants were paying to have their oil hauled off. When we offered to haul it for free they were ecstatic. Then the biodiesel "fad" started and demand for oil got crazy.

The people who loved us for hauling there oil for started asking "how much will you pay me? ".

Kudos to folks that have continued to successfully produce there own.

[Doktari]

Getting the water and other contaminants out of the oil I was getting was daunting for me. Then some jugs broke and made a gross mess. Gave up on it. Too gross and messy lol. Maybe if I didn’t have so many other projects I could have focused on it.
Do some run half and half diesel mixed with used engine oil? Finely filtered I would ASSume.

[TheatricalKate]

Originally Posted by Tango

Howdy Kate, and WELCOME!


Are you looking at "over-the-counter" BioDiesel...or the home brewed variety.



If the home brewed, I would recommend doing a lot of reading and research before committing. Seems the vast majority of folks I have seen who went to great lengths to make their own quickly went back to using the off the shelf fuel. Very complicated process that does not appear to pay back.


Just a thought. Meanwhile, read all you can here and don't hesitate to ask questions. Great bunch of folks here and many of them have years of experience to share.

Over the counter. I've looked into the recipes for making your own, and while I like the idea of putting my rusty chemistry knowledge to use, I don't want to take up the space riding with the flammable ingredients. I've found some seemingly comprehensive websites with biodiesel filling stations throughout the US and Canada.

I'd love to invest in a local biodiesel manufacturer. I heard about a collective that made biodiesel in Olympia, WA, but apparently they didn't continue because they didn't know what to do with the glycerine byproduct. And didn't know anyone who wanted to do the two other processes to turn it into soaps.

If anyone knows folx who manufacture biodiesel, I'd love to buy from them!

[TheatricalKate]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

5 window bus limits you to any E-series Ford with either the beloved 7.3L or not so loved 6.0L diesel engine. The 7.3L loves biodeisel and is very reliable and well known. The 6.0L will also run on bio and be reliable if you don't run it hard and keep up on service.

Welcome aboard!

Thanks! Good to know.

I'm trying to figure out, through the copious amounts of excellent information here, which transmission will be best as the final product is going to be heavy.

[TheatricalKate]

At first I was going to run on grease, get the conversion done and filter my own. But after talking with a lot of friends who run grease vehicles, I decided I didn't want to be my own mechanic if I needed to change pistons in the middle of nowhere Nevada.

Biodiesel isn't the smallest carbon footprint, but I'll take it over gas and not having to be my own mechanic (besides the small stuff like changing the fluids and tires and such.)

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

5 window bus limits you to any E-series Ford with either the beloved 7.3L or not so loved 6.0L diesel engine. The 7.3L loves biodeisel and is very reliable and well known. The 6.0L will also run on bio and be reliable if you don't run it hard and keep up on service.

Welcome aboard!

I've got a 5 window diesel with WC lift and its got a Cat.